Saturday, August 28, 2010

Google has more than a few products and ideas on tap but it's primary revenue source remains Search and Internet advertising.

Sometime in the next few months, the company is expected to release Chrome OS, a complete computer operating system, that will allow you to boot in seconds, access the Internet (as well as Google's cloud-based products).

With Chrome OS, Google is doing something that Microsoft often misses. They are re-entering an area where they've already 'played' publicly, at a point in time where it makes more sense.

Microsoft has missed this boat on numerous occasions, the most notable being Microsoft Reader, years ahead of it's time, which, if introduced last year, may have competed effectively with Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook, Apple's iPad and other devices now competing and selling like hotcakes.

Many, back then, mistakenly took the gOS name as the Google Operating System. It actually stood for Green Operating System (and apparently is now a Linux build called the Good Operating System).

Google is expected to introduce the Chrome OS in the fourth quarter of this year and there have already been a variety of leaks pointing to hardware displaying the\product. Google also owns Android which is already a rapidly growing hit in the mobile market. One Google employee commented recently that, at some point, the two projects by Google will likely converge.

Over the past three months, I've been dual-booting Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux (the Linux build most often referred to publicly by Google employees) on 2 PCs. I enabled the Linux repository for proposed updates and immediately noticed that Linux has been releasing new kernels often, many with security updates.

Security in 'the cloud' is a HUGE concern and most recently saw Intel outright purchase PC security company McAfee.

Google's owns the ChromeOperatingSystem.com domain name but mysteriously it still has an early expiration date :

In order for Chrome OS to be a 'wild' hit, Google will need to not only introduce devices that they know will work but make a version that can be used on older PC's, Notebooks and Netbooks. They need to address 'superior graphics' to compete with Apple (and more recently Microsoft's Windows 7).

Low operating system overhead will allow many with moderate system resources to effectively stream video on moderate speed Internet connections.

This could actually replace Windows XP for lots of end-users.

Google is right on when they say most users now boot-up to go directly to the web. They could (finally?) make Linux a household name by branding a solid Chrome OS product with the Google name.

Will they do it ...... or choose to play in the 'dedicated devices' arena?

We'll have to wait and see.

If they don't, it's a good bet that the economic environment could see a whole new crop of Linux users and developers.

Ubuntu and others have created a much more user-friendly product in the past year.

Zero to Internet in seven seconds is already here. It's up to Google whether or not they want to own the lead in this important PC based arena.

Friday, August 20, 2010

If you had asked me if it would have run this long a few years ago, I probably would said ..."I seriously doubt it".

As some of you know, I originally started this blog with one basic premise in mind.

After some 5 years doing in-house SEO, my personal brand had almost evaporated (These days that can happen overnight ! :) I felt, at the time, that a combination of news and perspective as well as unique 'takes' on the quantum economic shift being caused by the Internet (Search, social and mobile) would be a good way to re-emerge onto a scene that I missed (badly) .... while re-engaging with a lot of people that I missed as well.

That mission was accomplished very early on.

There are a lot of things that have been done here that I'm pretty proud of. Maybe I'll point to a few in a future post.

I have gotten (more than) a few e-mails over the past few weeks asking "Hey ... What's Up Charlie" (referring to the fact that I haven't been blogging as often).

Those always made me feel good ... and still do.

So .. ugh ... here's what's up!

The web is a very different place now. I still spend several hours a day reading and discovering new stuff.

I still share some of what I think you might find interesting from Google Reader to my Google Profile and Google Buzz. I also wander around Twitter a bit and visit some 30 or so 'social' places, including start-ups, on at least a weekly basis. (Hey ... I still love this stuff :)

My Facebook Profile has now become a fascinating mix of former and current friends, colleagues, interesting tech personalities from the past and present, social media whiz kids .... and more recently, a few classmates that found me from elementary school ??!!

The web for me these days is mostly for staying current and having some fun. I don't live, eat and breathe it like I once did ... and have actually worked very hard to disconnect on a regular basis (and find that extremely healthy).

Many of us in this biz, in recent months and weeks, have cut back from 'daily' blogging. In fact, I've noticed more than a few high profile posts very similar to this one in recent weeks.

In all honestly, I have no idea at this stage if I'm going to take the blog back daily or not. What I do know is that I've made a lot of great friends right here .... and it's way to early to say SEO and Tech Daily is 'closing' or being sold ... or whatever.

Like one of the editors at Techmeme (Megan McCarthy), a lot of my 'online attention' has moved to the fascinating and ongoing convergence of various media and the Internet. In fact, I think people will realize that, in retrospect, Mediagazer is way ahead of it's time ..... as it continues to mature.

For the summer at least, posts here will be sporadic. I intend them to be enjoyable, informative and hopefully somewhat unique.

As might be expected, the stable version is just that. Tested extensively not to crash, etc. The beta channel is aimed more at early adopters with features that are still being tested ... and the developer channel for those that need or want to see more and/or are writing extensions or other goodies for inclusion in the Chrome dev library.

Simplicity, even more speed and several other changes can be found in this latest update.

You can find out more about autofill, and the new changes to the 'Omnibox' here or simply download the new beta here.

Update: In other web browser news, Mozilla took the wraps off of it's latest beta of Firefox 4 (reviewed previously here) now embracing Windows 7 touch features and supporting 34 languages. More on Firefox 4b3 can be found here.

Microsoft is set to release a whopping 33 (mostly important) updates via Windows Update later today.

If your computer is set to automatically update, you may be multi-tasking (possibly for a while) while you work, and in some cases, asked to re-boot.

In one of the largest comprehensive set of 'Tuesday Updates' ever, Microsoft is rolling out Security (and other) Updates for Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows XP SP3.

Note: Users running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or earlier are no longer supported and should upgrade to SP3 ASAP ... for continued support.

The latest version of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool will also be deployed.

While those with current hardware and a reasonable broadband connection probably will be able to continue working without even noticing, those with older hardware, limited memory, or a slow Internet connection may want to address this update manually as soon as it becomes available.

More information on today's updates for system administrators, IT professionals as well individual users can be found here.

This market segment is long overdue for it's own Google Channel. While Google has addressed small businesses in many other ways, the new blog is a great way of saying "We know you're there", which may very well be enough for some people.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

In case you haven't noticed, there's another space where numerous companies are competing.
Mobile and web-based mapping and navigation are big .. and becoming bigger as more smartphones make their way into users pockets.

Numerous new products and acquisitions have swept this segment in the pat year alone.

Google Maps (the home and office based PC version) has been making a number of quiet strides over the past year as the technology (and broadband proliferation in rural America and elsewhere) allow.

If you haven't tried it lately, it's worth another look as Google has not only added well-know features (such as the sometimes-controversial Street View) but even more noteworthly are the features you can turn on and off with one click from the 'more' button at the top of the map after chosing as destination.

Google Earth of course is there .... now coupled with photos from Panoramio (which just about anyone with a Picasa account can upload for approval .... and there are now tens of thousands).

In Maps 'Labs', there's the aerial view. If you've never visited the GooglePlex, try it in aerial view. Simply cool.

One feature I didn't know about until earlier this week was Real Estate.

While this could get a bit crowded in some cities, it's apparent that Google has reached many parts of Rural America and I was surprised at the amount (and accuracy) of the listings in a small town here in Pennsylvania.

A few more clicks and there's area webcams, photos, videos and lots more.

It's a great quick take in addition to the more extensive Real Estate sites such as Trulia, Zillow and others.